title: Effects of ruthenium red on membrane ionic currents in urinary bladder smooth muscle cells of the guinea-pig.
abstract: Three major ionic currents, Ca2+-dependent K+ current (IK-Ca), delayed rectifier type K+ current (Ikd) and Ca2+ current (ICa), were activated by depolarization under whole-cell clamp in single smooth muscle cells isolated from guinea-pig urinary bladder. Externally applied ruthenium red (RuR) reduced the amplitude of IK-Ca and ICa at 0 mV (IC50 values were 4.2 and 5.6 muM, respectively), but did not affect IKd. Spontaneous transient outward currents (STOCs) and caffeine-induced outward currents (Icaf) at -30 mV were reduced by external 10 muM RuR. When 10 muM RuR was added to the pipette solution, IK-Ca during depolarization, STOCs and Icaf significantly decreased with time. RuR did not change the unitary current amplitude of the large-conductance Ca2+-dependent K+ (BK) channels, but reduced the open probability of the channel under excised patch-clamp recording mode. RuR reduced the channel activity more effectively from the cytosolic face than from the other. This inhibition decreased when the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration was increased. These results indicate that RuR blocks BK and Ca2+ channels in urinary bladder smooth muscle cells. The decrease in IK-Ca, STOCs and Icaf by RuR is attributable to the direct inhibition of BK channel activity, probably in addition to the inhibition of Ca2+ release from storage sites. The direct inhibition of BK channel activity by RuR may be related to the interaction of RuR with the Ca2+-binding sites of the channel protein.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya 467, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Imaizumi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Muraki
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000502:physiology; D051668:Delayed Rectifier Potassium Channels; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D051036:Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D024681:Potassium Channels, Calcium-Activated; D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated; D012430:Ruthenium Red / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D051668:Delayed Rectifier Potassium Channels; D007473:Ion Channels; D051036:Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers; D015221:Potassium Channels; D024681:Potassium Channels, Calcium-Activated; D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated; D012430:Ruthenium Red; D002110:Caffeine